A 40 Year Sponsorship and the Practical Application of the 12 Steps – Sandy B.

About This Speaker Tape

Friday Night - 2005

Sandy B. traces a life defined by a deep sense of not belonging from a childhood spent fearing the crucifix in a Catholic church to a career as a Marine Corps fighter pilot. He describes the 'insanity' of his first drink at university which acted as a chemical switch that suddenly made the world feel welcoming. This trajectory led to a dangerous descent: flying high-performance jets while in alcoholic withdrawal solving the problem by gripping the ejection seat in case he passed out. After a breakdown involving hallucinations and a stint in a 'nut ward,' Sandy found a Higher Power. He maps out the shift from a man who viewed AA as the lowest point of his life to someone who sees it as the greatest gift emphasizing that spirituality isn't about fixing a broken world but gaining the power to see that things are already alright.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction and mention of Polly's upcoming talk on emotional sobriety.
• 3:15 Sandy B. discusses the 'spiritual cards' dealt after working the 12 Steps: happy, joyous, and free.
• 6:40 Childhood memories of the Catholic church and the fear induced by the crucifix.
• 12:10 The first drink at university and the immediate shift in perception of the people around him.
• 18:45 Life as a Marine Corps pilot and the realization that his drinking scared even the big drinkers.
• 23:10 Laughter: The 'alcoholic problem-solving' involving the ejection seat during flight withdrawals.
• 28:30 The 'nut ward' experience and the first introduction to AA.
• 32:15 The moment of surrender on December 7, 1964, and the encounter with Betsy L.
• 36:40 The story of the plane crash that revealed the 'blessing' in being forced out of the military.
• 41:20 The 'light socket' metaphor for experiencing a Higher Power.
• timecode Discussion of the Promises and the nature of a spiritual awakening.
• 45:10 Closing remarks and the Serenity Prayer.